Brother
by 71daydreamer
Summary: Will is the new guy in town. Sonny owns the local pizzeria. They both have a past and lots of baggage. With obstacles aplenty from the get-go, can these two overcome their differences long enough to give into the pull that keeps somehow bringing them together? Rated T for now. :) Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.
1. Chapter 1

Sonny barged through the front door of Jackson's Pizzeria, almost 30 minutes later than he intended.

"Hey, Boss Man," said the short skinny guy behind the counter. "I was beginning to think you weren't gonna show."

"Sorry, Tuck, I got stuck in traffic, and what did I tell you about the boss man crap?"

Tucker laughed. "Well, you get paid the big bucks. That makes you the boss man."

If the pizzeria wasn't so busy, Sonny would take a second to roll up a hand towel and smack it like a whip across Tucker's butt. As it was, though, the place was a madhouse.

"Where do you need me, Tuck?"

Sonny and Tucker had been best friends since middle school. They both had earned business degrees and they had attended college together, even stayed in the same dorm room.

Now they lived together in a rather large two bedroom apartment (with Sonny's beloved Irish Setter) just on the outskirts of Sacramento and had recently taken a few culinary classes together. They both were 23. In fact, they shared the same birthday, June 1st, and had just celebrated together last month.

Both were now doing what they loved, the restaurant business suiting them perfectly. Tucker was right there through the whole process when Sonny opened the pizzeria – which he'd named after himself and Tucker managed. Sonny hoped in the near future to open up Tucker's Bakery, and then expand his business from there - one day become equal partners, instead of owner and manager. Tucker had a love (and a knack) for pastries, so…

"You know I wouldn't have called on your day off if Cassidy didn't have to leave, right?"

Sonny shrugged. "No biggie."

"Taylor, Madison, and Carson have the tables under control. Cassidy was at the counter with me. Do you mind?"

"Of course not." Sonny grabbed a burgundy apron and wrapped it around his waist. "So, what happened to Cass?"

Tucker shrugged. "She ran toward the back saying she was gonna barf."

"Oh man, sucks for her." Sonny lowered his voice. "You ask her out yet?"

Tucker shook his head.

Sonny snickered and mumbled, "Chicken Shit," just loud enough for his best friend to hear. "You've worked together now, what…six months?"

"I'll ask her when I'm good and ready."

"Pshhh."

"Did you just pshhh me?" Tucker whispered back, "Does somebody want a towel popped across their smart ass?"

"You'll regret it. You fall asleep before I do."

"Good point."

They both laughed and then got down to business.

Sonny had been standing at the counter taking orders for about 20 minutes when the dining area emptied out just a bit. That's when he noticed what looked to be a man asleep at one of the tables, his blonde head propped against his crossed forearm, with just his forehead barely peeking out.

Another man that Sonny guessed to be a couple years younger than himself, sat across from the sleepy head. He had wavy hair the color of cherry tomatoes and a sprinkling of freckles across his nose. The red-head had a big basket of crayons in front of him and a coloring book.

_Well, that's a little odd for a guy his age._

As he colored, he stuck his tongue out as if to concentrate. The man sniffled and wiped his nose on his _sleeve._

_Uh, yuck. Now, that's a lot odd for a guy his age._

The red-head suddenly glanced up at Sonny. He had the greenest eyes Sonny had ever seen – they almost looked unreal – but they were the eyes of a child, not of a man, filled with wonderment instead of wisdom. The red-head quickly looked back down, as if he'd just got caught doing something he wasn't supposed to, and resumed his coloring.

"What's going on at table 3?" he asked Tucker.

"Dunno, man. That dude has been asleep for well over an hour, and the other guy just sits there and colors. He'll get up to go to the soda fountain and go right back to his seat."

"Well, is the blonde alive? I mean…somebody has checked, right?"

"Yea, he was sitting there eating his pizza one minute and the next he was asleep. I went over to talk to the red-head, but he wouldn't talk to me. The blonde is snoring away."

"He wouldn't talk to you at all?"

"Nope. Not one word."

"Well, is he safe?"

Tucker laughed. "What's he gonna do? Attack us with orange soda and crayons. Color us to death?"

Sonny chuckled. "Good one, Smart Ass. I'll go see what's up in a few."

As soon as the line died down, Sonny washed his hands and headed over to table 3.

"Hey, how's it going?"

The red-head continued to color, didn't even look up. Blondie didn't budge either, but Sonny could hear his quiet snore. _Well at least he's not dead._

Sonny tried again. "Can I sit here?" He pointed to an empty seat at the blue and white checkered table.

The red-head continued to color, but said, "Seat's taken."

Sonny snickered before he could stop himself. "Oh, yea? By who?"

Still coloring with one hand, the red-head pushed his glass over in front of the seat. "Orange soda."

Sonny tried not to laugh out loud. _That would be rude, wouldn't it?_ _Hmmm…_

"Okay, then." Sonny moved to the other side of the table, standing now in front of the other empty seat.

Before he could even ask if the seat was taken, the red-head pushed the basket his way and answered his unspoken question. "Crayons. Just the blue ones. The blue ones are sitting there. They are taking the seat. Blue is my favorite color. That's why we're sitting at this table. I was allowed to pick the table. I always pick the table. I picked the blue and white checkered table. That seat is taken. The blue crayons are sitting there. Orange soda is sitting at the other seat. You didn't have blue soda. You can't sit here. All the seats are taken."

_Interesting_. Sonny looked at Tucker with wide brown eyes. His best friend just shrugged. "Don't look at me," he mouthed.

"Can you tell me your name?"

The red-head shook his head, eyes still glued to his coloring book.

"You're very good at that," Sonny said. He really was. His super heroes were colored to perfection.

"You're a stranger."

"Sorry 'bout that. My name is Sonny," he said holding out his hand.

"I don't have a name."

"You don't have a name?"

"Pizza. My name is Pizza."

"Pizza, huh?"

"I'm not supposed to lie. I have a name, but not for you. You're a stranger. I don't have a name for strangers. You shouldn't talk to strangers. I have a name, but not for strangers."

The red-head started coloring faster, his right hand moving quickly across the page, his left hand reaching up to twirl a red curl. Sonny wondered if he was making the guy nervous and immediately took a step back. He found himself intrigued by the whole situation. The line at the counter was getting longer, and as much as Sonny wanted to stay at table 3, he decided to give up for now and help Tucker.

Both lines stayed continuously busy, which was fine with Sonny. The busier they were, the more money they made – and the sooner he could expand the business.

Sonny had just given an elderly woman her change when the blonde at table 3 lifted his head and rubbed his eyes. When he moved his hands away from his face, Sonny just about fell over.

_Holy Shit! That guy is beautiful. And those blue eyes. Damn, I think blue is my favorite color, too. _

The blonde's eye color was as unreal as the red-heads, the only difference was the shade. Sonny had never seen eyes that were actually the color of the sky, the exact color of a clear cerulean blue sky, except prettier.

_Prettier, what the hell?_

Sonny wasn't looking for any kind of relationship. He just got out of one that ended badly, but he was, however, looking to get laid.

_Hell yea! But aren't all guys looking for that? _

Sonny wasn't sure and he didn't care; and if Blue Eyes was up for it, Sonny was in – _literally, balls deep._ He snickered at his juvenile thoughts. _Insta-boner_!

"Uh, Son, can you get them or no?" Tucker asked.

Sonny shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Get who? What?"

"I asked if you could get the red pepper flakes and refill the jars."

"Oh, yea…yea, of course." _And my first pepper jar refill will be table 3._

Sonny practically ran into the storage room for the flakes.

_Now where the hell did Tucker put them? _

Sonny scanned the shelving until his eyes finally fell upon what he was looking for against the back wall. He grabbed the step latter and yanked two canisters off the top shelf. He loosened his apron a bit to better hide the tent in his pants and headed back out front – and straight for table 3.

The table was empty. Taylor was removing the blue-checkered table cloth and replacing it with a fresh one. Sonny glanced around the room – no sign of the red-head or the blonde.

_Damn._

"Where'd they go?" he asked Tucker.

"Who?"

"Table 3."

"They left. The blonde apologized for falling asleep. He looked pretty rattled, offered me money for taking up space."

"You didn't take it, did you?"

"Of course not."

"Where'd they go?" Sonny asked again.

Tucker snickered. "How the hell should I know?"

"Just wondering," Sonny mumbled.

Tucker glanced at Sonny's apron, leaned in and whispered to his boss. "Which one you lookin' to bang? The red-head or the blonde."

"Aren't you unfunny? Suck it, Shorty."

"Nah, it's gonna take more than those pretty brown eyes and that pretty brown hair to get me on my knees."

"News flash. I'm not that desperate."

"Hey! I bet if I put my mind to it, I could really suck a mean co—"

"Think I just threw up in my mouth a little."

"Whatever, Kiriakis. You'd be so lucky! Anyway, Blondie probably isn't even into guys."

"Uh, my dick says otherwise. You see when it points north like this, that means—"

"Awe, man…none o' that shit."

Sonny snickered. "It's like my own little compass for hot guys, a kind of radar if you will."

Tucker grabbed his crotch from behind the counter. "Got your radar right here."

Taylor walked by and threw a coloring book on the counter. "Dude must have dropped it," she said, popping her bubble gum, her brown pony tail bobbing as she walked. "And you two are sickos."

Sonny picked up the book and opened it to the first page. MATTHEW was written in all caps and in blue letters.

_Guess the red-head does have a name after all, and it's not Pizza._

* * *

And that's it for chapter one. Let me know if ya'll are on board for more!


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks so much for the support y'all have given me for this story. :) Between this, FCG, work, kids, life...blah, blah, blah, I haven't had time to respond to reviews. I want y'all to know that I appreciate all of you that reviewed and sent messages. :) Now, on with the story...

* * *

Will and his twin brother, Matthew, ambled along the sidewalk, following the directions that Cassidy had texted Will to the pub. Will had his backpack slung over his shoulder, and Matthew carried his basket full of crayons.

"We really need to get you a new basket, Mattie" said Will, stopping briefly to bend over and scoop up a yellow crayon that slid from Mattie's stash. "One with a top…and maybe a strap so it'd be easier for you to carry. You have quite a heavy load there now." For as long as Will could remember, his brother had carried around a basket of crayons. He didn't always ask for his coloring books, but he always had his basket with him just in case. Dr. Evans said it was like a security blanket. When Mattie was upset or anxious, he'd ask for the books. The coloring helped soothe him. The doctor had told Will's parents years ago that it was perfectly normal, and even healthy for Mattie to do that. He was asking to color a lot more than usual lately, though, and that worried Will.

"I don't have a heavy load. I need more blues," said Mattie, shifting the basket as they continued on. "I need a bigger basket for more blues. Can we get more blues now?"

"Not now, Mattie. We're meeting Cassidy at the pub, remember?" Will stopped at the crosswalk and held his hand in front of his brother to keep him from walking out in the traffic.

"When the light changes we can walk," said Mattie, in his usual monotone voice.

"You got it."

"The light changed."

"But what do we still have to do?"

"Look both ways. We don't wanna get ran over."

"We sure don't." Will let his arm down and he and Mattie crossed the street.

"Cassidy lied."

"Why would you say that, Mattie? That's not nice."

"It's not nice, but it's true. I don't lie, not on purpose. Cassidy said she would meet us for pizza. She didn't meet us for pizza. She lied and lying is bad. I don't lie because it's bad."

"She got sick, Mattie, remember? She had to leave work because she got sick. She didn't lie on purpose."

"I liked the orange soda there. They didn't have blue soda but I liked the orange soda. Can we get pizza?"

"Were going to the pub, remember?"

"I remember. Can I get pizza at the pub? It's my favorite. Can you fall asleep so I can get all the soda I want? When we get pizza you fall asleep and I get soda."

Will still couldn't believe he'd fallen asleep at Jackson's Pizzeria, and was mortified (and somewhat) panicked when he woke up. He still felt guilty for leaving Mattie unsupervised like that.

_Hadn't I learned my lesson before? _

He guessed the move, struggling to make ends meet and finishing his degree online - and caring full time for his brother - had finally caught up with him, but that didn't ease his guilt.

"I'm getting pizza," Mattie announced, but not to anyone in particular. He was staring at the lights in the storefronts as they trudged along.

"They don't have pizza at the pub. You can get a cheeseburger."

"Can I have pickles?"

"You can have all the pickles you want."

"Pizza is my favorite, but I can get a cheeseburger with pickles. You said I can't eat pizza every day even if it's my favorite. My name should be pizza, but it's not. My name is Mattie, but pizza is my favorite."

Will sighed. "Your name is Mattie, and I like your name."

The red-head laughed, it was like music to his brother's ears – he didn't hear it often enough lately. "I like it when you make me laugh, Brother."

"I like to hear you laugh, Mattie," Will said, opening the door to the pub. The bell chimed to announce their arrival. Will spotted his friend from across the pub. She waved them over.

"Is Cassidy a stranger? If she is, I can't talk to her."

"You met Cassidy before, remember? She's my friend. She came to the farm a few times before she left for college."

"I don't remember. I miss the farm. I miss Mom and Dad. We lived on the farm with Mom and Dad. I miss them."

Will felt his eyes start to fill and blinked hard to keep the moisture at bay. "Me too, Mattie." _Now suck it up, William._ He plastered a smile on his face as he hugged Cassidy's neck. "You remember, Mattie, right Cass?"

"Yea, hey Mattie!"

Mattie backed up a bit.

"He's not sure if he remembers you," Will explained.

Mattie eyed Cassidy curiously. "Brother said we're not strangers, and Brother doesn't lie. Not on purpose. He said you didn't lie on purpose."

"I never lie on purpose. You don't remember me, Mattie?"

Mattie shook his head. "No, but Brother said we're not strangers."

"You probably don't recognize me because my hair is real long now." Cassidy ran her hand over the silky, golden tresses.

"Your hair is yellow. My favorite color is blue. We're not strangers. Brother said so."

"Nope, we're old friends."

Mattie's face lit up. "Can we be new friends now? I like new friends. I like pizza, but my name's not pizza, it's Mattie. We can be new friends."

"Perfect," she said. "Is this table okay for you? I know you like to pick the table."

"I always pick the table. This table is okay." Mattie sat down and the other two followed suit.

"Can I have my super hero coloring book?" Mattie asked Will, pulling a blue crayon from his basket. He always used blue first.

"Sorry, Mattie, I couldn't find it." Will held his breath for a mini mental break down, but it never came. So, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a locomotive coloring book. "How 'bout this one?"

Mattie shook his head.

"This one?" Will held up the one with farm equipment on the front.

"No more pages."

"Hmmm…I've got it." Will held up the one with the Peanuts gang on the front.

Mattie took the book, opened to a random page and started coloring Charlie Brown. "It's not my favorite. My favorite is the super hero book. I wish we could find my super hero book 'cause it's my favorite."

"We'll find it...eventually."

"Thanks, Brother."

* * *

"Slow down. Mattie. That cheeseburger's not going anywhere."

"It's good. It has all the pickles I want," said Mattie. "It's going somewhere."

"Where?" asked Cassidy.

"In my mouth."

Cassidy smiled. "You are something else, Mattie."

"I don't know what that means."

"Well," Will began. "It means—"

"I have to pee," Mattie took the last bite of his burger and stood up from the table.

"Okay, the restroom is over there in the corner. Mattie, look at me." Will waited for his brother to make eye contact. "Go there, use the restroom, and come straight back. No playing with the hand dryer."

Mattie nodded. "Okay, Brother. I will pee and come right back. I won't play with the hand dryer."

"How's he doing?" Cassidy asked when Mattie was out of ear shot.

Will shrugged. "I'm worried about him here. I'm not sure if the city suits him. He misses being out on the farm, and the animals. He misses our parents."

"Yea...and so do you."

Will shrugged. "That's different, Cass. Mattie doesn't understand why we had to move and why mom and dad never came back home. Not really."

"But_ you_ know the move was to make a better life for you both, isn't that enough?"

"But at what price? All Mattie wants to do is color in these damn books. He seems so detached now, hardly ever smiles. We used to laugh all the time."

"Doesn't look like _either _of you have been smiling or laughing a whole lately."

"I just want him to be okay, Cass." Will slumped back in his chair.

"Hey, stop looking so guilty, He'll adjust, Will. You had no choice but to move, you know that."

Will nodded. "I just wish my parents would have told me they were losing the farm."

"I'm sure they just didn't want to hurt you. They had no idea that…well, you know."

"Yea, they had no idea that they wouldn't be around to pick up the pieces. I don't blame them, Cass, I just wish I'd have known our financial situation."

"They'd be proud of you, Will. You're not even 21 yet, and you've taken on the responsibility of taking care of your brother."

Will crossed his arms over his chest, making his muscles bulge slightly. "Maybe I should have kept him closer to home."

"After what happened, being anywhere near that backwards ass town is the last thing Mattie needs, and you, too, Will. People are more accepting here."

Will shook his head at the memory. "I'll never forgive myself for that."

"You were hurt that day too, and there's nothing you could have done to stop it. Like I said, I think it's best you moved Mattie away from that town. Those assholes—"

"The townspeople as a whole weren't that bad."

"Uh, I grew up there, too, Will and yea…"

Mattie sat back down at the table and Will gave Cassidy a look that told her conversation was over. She nodded her understanding.

"I peed and came right back. There were no hand dryers."

"Good job, Mattie."

"Can I have more soda? I'll go there and come right back."

"Yea, sure, but just one more. You won't sleep at all tonight otherwise."

Will watched his brother walk to the soda fountain and fill his plastic cup with root beer. The foam just about spilled over the top and Mattie released the button just in time. He poked at the bubbles with his finger and smiled. Will smiled, too.

"He's lucky to have you."

"I'm lucky to have him."

Mattie sat back down in his seat and started coloring.

"You're lucky to have each other. Speaking of lucky, have you been dating anyone?"

"Uh, no…no time for that, Cass."

"Don't pull that no time for that bull on me…" Will could see Cassidy's wheels turning. "You know, I can hang out with Mattie any time you wanna go out."

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"What? Why? Are you still having that same little problem…?"

Will could feel his cheeks redden. "No problem, just no time."

"Holy Crap! You still haven't even kissed a guy have you?" she whispered, her blue eyes big, round saucers.

"Well, geez! Thanks for announcing that!" Will had gotten drunk one night a few months ago to drown out his sorrows and spilled that little tid-bit of information on a late night woe-is-me call to Cassidy. He'd mentally kicked himself for it ever since.

She rolled her eyes, propped her elbows on the table and leaned in. "No one's listening, Nervous Ned."

Will still felt the need to defend himself. "Besides…where would I have found any guys in the so-called backwards ass town that we grew up in?"

"Good point, but there are plenty of guys here, and you are quite the hottie." She wiggled her eyebrows up and down. "No time like the present."

"Look, I've got a lot on my plate. There's no time for that… stuff."

Cassidy leaned back in her chair and eyed her friend curiously. "So you've had no boyfriend? Not at all, huh?"

Will shook his head.

"Not even one date?"

"Nope, but it's no big deal. let it go."

"Yea, it's a big deal. You need to focus on your happiness a little too, ya know. Hey, I know this guy—"

"No, Cass."

"Oh, come on. He's hella cute."

"Did you just say hella cute?"

"Sure did. He's got a steady job."

"No, Cass," Will repeated.

"He's single, has the most gorgeous brown hair and—"

"I said no."

"It's nothing to embarrassed about, Will, you've gotta start somewhere and—"

"Drop it!" Will didn't mean to raise his voice, but Cassidy was making him nervous. His inexperience at his age mortified the hell out of him.

"Dang, Grumpy Butt. You _do_ need to get laid."

"Cass," Will warned, "ears." He nodded his head toward Mattie to indicate his meaning of_ ears_.

"Sorry, I just want what's best for you."

Just then, their waitress appeared at the table. "Can I get you kids anything else?"

Mattie looked up from his coloring book. "You can get Brother a boyfriend so he can get a kiss. He's a grumpy butt and needs to get laid. He thinks he has a lot on his plate, but he doesn't. He ate all his food. Can I have more pickles? Brother said I can have all the pickles I want."

Will slumped down in his chair, his ears on fire. _You've got be kidding me. _


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for reading and reviewing so far. It makes this fun for me!

Warning: Violence and some vulgar language ahead. Okay guys, this update is pretty angsty, but that's kinda how I do things. I'm a sucker for drama…as long as it's not in my own life. Ha! I love the bad because it makes the good so much better! Plus, ya'll know that everything's gonna be a-okay, right? Right! Here we go…

* * *

"Help me, Brother!" Mattie cried as two stocky guys pulled him toward a beat-up brown van, the red-head's confused eyes frantically looking at his twin for assistance.

One of the men jerked on Mattie's arm, causing Will's twin to frantically clutch his basket on a sob. "Awe, it's okay retard. You'll be just fine with us."

"But I don't wanna go with you! I wanna stay with Brother!"

"Let him go!" Will yelled. "You're hurting him!"

One of the two men holding Will punched the blonde in the gut, knocking the air from his chest. "Shut up, ya queer!"

Will doubled over and gulped air in, desperately trying to fill his lungs.

"He looks like a fuckin' guppy," one of them said, laughing.

"His blue eyes are gonna pop right outta his purdy little head!" said another.

Will recognized all four guys as part of the Mayfield clan, the two holding him were brothers. He suddenly realized what this was all about. "He didn't do anything to you! It's me you want. He doesn't understand. Leave him alone!"

"Brother!" Mattie cried again, tears streaming down his face. He continued to push against his two captives, his futile attempts doing nothing but making them laugh harder.

The site of it made Will's blood boil, and he kicked out, connecting soundly with a shin.

"Damnit! You stupid faggot!" What felt like claws squeezed into Will's arms. "The retard's gonna pay for that! Get him in the fuckin' van already!"

"Mattie!" Will yelled, his own tears blinding him. "Fight back harder!"

"Make them stop, Brother," Mattie begged. No matter how hard he tried, the two men that held him effortlessly dragged him toward the van's open door. "I don't like this, Brother!"

Will knew that Mattie was doing all that he could. The look of shock and confusion that distorted his sweet brother's features broke his heart – tore him up inside. "It's gonna be okay, Mattie. It's gonna be okay." _God, somebody help us! _But there was nobody.

"It's gonna be okay," one of them mocked in Will's ear.

Another jerk of Mattie's arm and his basket of crayons flew from his grip and landed in the grass, all colors off the rainbow spilling from the opening. Will saw the panic in his brother's eyes.

"Not the blues ones," Mattie whimpered. "Blue is my favorite."

"What the hell?!" one of the guys holding Mattie exclaimed. "This guy's fuckin' hilarious!" He let go of Mattie just long enough to reach down, pluck a few blue crayons from the ground and snap them in half right in front of the red-head's face. Then he threw them out into the street. "What'd ya think of them blue ones now, boy?"

"No! Not the blue ones," Mattie cried, shaking his head. "No…no."

Mattie's anguished sobs gave Will the strength to finally break free. He pulled the guy that was still holding Mattie off of him, but the other three quickly came up from behind. They jerked on Will's arms, twisted him, and shoved him into the ditch. He rolled a couple of times and landed face first in the dirt – hard. It made his head spin.

"Ass in the air," he heard one of them snarl. "Just like the queer boy likes it. Maybe he'll get lucky and another desperate fag'll come along and stick his dick in."

"That'll teach him to hit on our little brother. Now let's go hit on his. Later, Dumbfuck!"

Will could still hear his brother yelling for his help. It was like a knife to his stomach and cut deeper than any of the hateful words these men could ever say to him. By the time he climbed out of the ditch, the van was squealing away, kicking up more dirt in his face…

* * *

Will sat up in bed with a start, heart pounding – sweat rolling from his forehead and into his eyes, making them sting. He looked around the dimly lit room frantically, trying to gain his bearings. The moonlight shining in through the window, along with the soft glow from Mattie's nightlight, helped Will recognize their small studio apartment – and he willed his heart rate to slow down, his hands to stop trembling.

_Another nightmare. Another fucking nightmare! Shit. Shit! And more SHIT!_

He glanced at the clock – 1:42AM.

"Brother," he heard the soft cry from his twin.

Will climbed out of his bed and stumbled his way across the short distance to Mattie's bed. He knelt down beside the mattress.

"Mattie," Will whispered quietly, not wanting to startle his brother.

Mattie was kicking at the covers. "Help me, Brother."

"Mattie," Will said a little louder, shaking his brother on the arm. "Wake up. You're dreaming."

Mattie continued to thrash and his cries became louder.

"Wake up, Mattie!" Will shook his brother's chest.

Long lashes suddenly fluttered upward, sea green orbs full of unadulterated fear stared up at Will. "The bad guys are gonna get me," he whispered, tears spilling from his eyes. "They're gonna call me bad names and pull my hair…and…and break the blue ones, put me in the closet. I don't like the dark."

"There aren't any bad guys here, Mattie," Will assured softly, absentmindedly smoothing his brother's curls. "This is our new home and it's just me and you." Will's chest tightened and his throat burned from holding back his own emotions. As much as it killed him to see his brother in distress, he needed to stay strong for Mattie and kept his own tears at bay. "Your blues are just fine, in the basket, on your dresser."

Mattie looked toward the dresser and then back at Will. "It's just me and you, Brother," Mattie repeated what Will had told him. "The blues just are fine, in the basket, on my dresser."

"Yup, just me and you." Will smiled for Mattie. "Everything's fine."

"Your smile's not real."

"Huh?"

"It doesn't light up your eyes."

"What do you mean, Mattie?" Maybe Mattie understood more than Will realized.

"Your smile's not real if it doesn't light up your eyes, but you said everything's fine and I believe you. Even if your smile's not real."

"Everything _is_ fine, Mattie. It really is." Will wondered if he was trying convince himself more that Mattie.

Mattie's features visibly relaxed. "You're my brother, and you don't lie to me, not on purpose. Everything's fine, and I'm going back to sleep now." And just like that Mattie rolled over and closed his eyes, long lashes brushing against pale freckled cheeks. His actions showing Will, once again, how much his brother trusted him. Even after everything that's happened…

Will pulled the Captain America blanket up to his brother's chin. "Love you, Mattie," he whispered, stepping away from his brother. He slipped back under the covers of his own bed, but couldn't settle down. Every time he closed his eyes, he envisioned Mattie being taken away from him – and the guilt and anguish of that happening consumed him all over again.

Will glanced at his clock again – 1:55. He really needed to talk to Doc Evans.

_She said I could call anytime, right?_

It was just before eleven in Atlanta, so Will decided to go for it. He grabbed his phone off the night stand, slipped on his black rims, and pushed the button to call the good doctor. She answered on the second ring.

"William?"

Will padded softly across the thick carpeted floor and into the small kitchen. He winced a bit when his feet hit the cold tile. "Hey, Doc. It's me, Will." _Duh._

"Caller ID gave that away," she said on a chuckle.

"Yea, is it too late to call?"

"Told you to call me anytime. What's going on? Mattie okay?"

"Well…that's why I'm calling. He's been having nightmares again."

"Did the nightmares ever stop?"

"No, but…they're more frequent now."

"And how about you? Are you still having nightmares, too, William?"

"Yea, but that's only because I hear him crying out…and it takes me back again."

"Or maybe it's the other way around. Maybe he's having nightmares because he hears you crying out?"

"No, I don't think so." _It couldn't be, could it?_

"Okay, then. William, you've both been through a lot these past couple of years, and the move may be triggering more nightmares for Mattie. Just like the move could be causing more stress on him that leads to more coloring."

Will sighed with frustration, ran a hand through his blonde hair. "And you still think this move was the right thing to do?"

"I believe that Mattie will come around, William. He's stronger than you think. It will take him some time, it will take_ you_ some time – but you'll both get there."

"I'm worried about _him_, not _me_."

"Yes, I know, but you won't be any good to your brother if you don't take care of yourself first."

"Mattie comes first," Will stated bluntly.

He heard Dr. Evans sigh into the phone like he'd heard so many times before. "Have you purchased a vehicle yet?"

"No, everything is in walking distance here."

"But a car would be nice for both you and Mattie."

"Walking is good for Mattie."

"I won't argue that, but remember you wanted to take Mattie to the beach?"

"Of course I remember." Will couldn't wait to take Mattie to the ocean for the first time.

"You're still living in the apartment above the antique shop, right?"

"Yea, Cassidy, was right. The owner is really nice, and she stayed true to her word. Ms. Porter charges me very little money to live here as long as I unpack and set up her shipments when they arrive on Monday and Thursday evenings. Renting from her fits nicely into our budget."

"Do you need my help with finances?"

"No! Thanks, Doc. Money's tight, no doubt about it; but you know I'd never take your money. We still have a good chunk of change from the life insurance policies. But the move here cost us quite a bit, and I'm trying to stretch out what we do have in savings. We gotta make that last at least until I finish school and manage to get something good published."

"Ah, yes, I am speaking to a future world renowned novelist."

Will couldn't help but smile. "That would be nice, and it's necessary that I work from home."

"You know I have the utmost confidence in your writing capabilities. I've read your stuff, most recently your short story for MoonBeamz. You have quite an imagination."

Will snickered. "Mattie helps with that."

"Well, my granddaughter loved it, especially the part about space bunnies. And I found your submission to ShootingStarz to be quite entertaining."

"Well, one day it won't be all fluff," Will teased. "And are you making fun of me?"

"Not at all." Will heard the smile in her voice. "Everyone needs a little romance."

_Even the guy who's never gotten any. Hell, especially the guy who's never gotten any. _"It wasn't really a romance you know. It was a mystery, a very manly mystery by the way, and I had to throw some fluff in there to get ShootingStarz to even look at it."

Dr. Evans laughed. "If you say so. Have you made any new friends there?"

_And here we go._ Will knew new friends meant boyfriends. "No."

"Why not? We talked about how important it is for you to have your own social life."

"My friend Cassidy lives here."

"You know what I mean, William."

"Yes," he said on a sigh. "I'd just rather not talk about it."

"Remind me again why this is off topic?"

_Because it's embarrassing! _But Dr. Evans didn't need to know the real reason for his nonexistent love life. So he went with reason number 2_._ "Look, Doc, even if I were to start dating, this would be a lot for any guy to take on."

"Yea? So? Do you realize how lucky any guy would be to have you, William? And Mattie is a bonus."

Will slumped against the fridge and slid down until his butt hit the cold floor, reminding him that they really needed kitchen rugs. He truly didn't like talking about this, not one bit. How does the doc always manage to switch the focus of the conversation from his brother onto him? _Ugh!_

"I really think I should go now. I don't wanna wake Mattie up."

She snickered into the phone. "Of course you don't. At least think about what I said, okay?"

"Okay, I will, Doc."

"Good then, sleep well, William."

"You too." The line went dead and Will's head hit the back of the fridge with a thump. Will usually felt much better after his talks with the doctor, but this time not so much. This one left him feeling kinda empty. He felt like something was missing and, for the life of him, Will couldn't quite figure out what it was.


	4. Chapter 4

Sonny watched the 4th of July fireworks from the pizzeria window. They shot up from the barge on the lake with a low whistle, and then burst open with a loud BOOM into a sprinkle of red, white and blues – eliciting "ohhhs" and "ahhhs" from the crowd in the town square.

"That never gets old," Cassidy said, walking up behind him.

"I know. As dorky as it sounds, I've always loved the boom."

"That's funny," Tucker said from behind the counter. "I thought you were always more into the bang, get it?" He made a move to hump the air.

"There you go being unfunny again."

"Perv," Cassidy threw over her shoulder as she walked away.

Tucker snickered. "You know you love it."

"The square is packed," Sonny observed, looking out over the crowd.

"You know what's gonna happen to all those people in the square when the show is over right, Son?" he asked.

"Yep, they're all gonna be in here putting money in our pockets."

"Hell, yea," said Tucker. "And papa needs a new ride."

Sonny laughed and turned to watch the fireworks again, he could tell by the multiple explosions that they had reached the finale. As soon as the last spark fizzled out, the crowd shifted, and a throng of people started heading straight for Jackson's.

_Jackpot_! "Let the fun begin," Sonny said more to himself than anyone else. He stepped out into the summer night and held the door open for them.

When the crowd in the square somewhat dissipated and the long line of people pouring into the pizzeria thinned out, Sonny made a move to close the door and get to work. Just as he was pulling it shut, he noticed a familiar red-head with sea green eyes sitting on a bench on the far side of the square – his hands clutching tightly his basket full of crayons. He was rocking back and forth slightly; Sonny thought he looked like he was trying to soothe himself. Sonny glanced around the square for the blonde, but didn't see him anywhere_. But surely he's close by, right? Ohhh, yea…_

"Be right back," he told Tucker. Before his friend could complain about being ditched, Sonny headed out the door, and across the square. As he approached the bench, Sonny noticed the red-head was looking around frantically, his body still rocking slightly.

"Hey there, remember me?" Sonny asked.

The red-head ignored him.

Sonny glanced around the square, but still no sign of Blue Eyes. _Hmmm…_ "Is everything okay?"

"I can't talk to strangers. You're a stranger."

"Not really," Sonny said, smiling. "We met the other day at the pizzeria. I'm Sonny."

Nothing. Sonny tried again. "You were coloring and your favorite color is blue. We can't be strangers if I know that, right?"

The red-head looked up briefly at Sonny, then quickly glanced away. He held his basket even tighter.

Sonny felt bad for the guy; he really seemed genuinely distressed. "Can I help you find something? Somebody?" _Like the blonde hottie?_

Nothing.

"Are you lost?"

"I can't find Brother. Brother's gonna be mad. I need to find him."

_So the blonde cutie is the brother. Maybe? Shit_… Sonny didn't know how to help the guy. He was like a lost kid. _How in the hell do you help a lost kid?_

"Look, I'm sure your brother's not gonna be mad."

"I didn't stay put. I chased the balloons. Brother's gonna be mad 'cause I didn't stay put."

Sonny heard Tucker yell from across the square. "A little help in here, Kiriakis!"

_Damn! But aren't I committed to this now? I can't leave this kid…man…man-kid alone out here_. Sonny suddenly remembered the guy's love for orange soda and the coloring book that Taylor had found. _Bingo!_

"I've got an idea. Why don't you come with me to the pizzeria? It's right there on the other side of the square. You can have a table by the window so you can watch for your brother." _Surely that would be safer than leaving the guy out here, right?_

"Brother said, if you get ever get lost, find a spot and stay put. I found a spot. I have to stay put. I didn't stay put before. Brother's gonna be mad."

"I have a very good spot inside the pizzeria. You could 'stay put' there and watch for your brother."

And we're back to the silent treatment. "Look, Bud, I don't really wanna leave you out here without your brother but I have to get back to work. I know your name's Matthew, and—"

"Mattie. My name's Mattie. My name should be pizza, but it's not. It's Mattie."

_Alrighty then! _"Okay, Mattie. Why don't you come with me and I'll get you some orange soda? Pizza, too, if you want."

"I need my books," Mattie mumbled, still rocking, eyes searching the crowd. "I need to color, but Brother has my books. I need them."

Sonny thought the guy sounded like he was gonna cry. Suddenly this really became more about helping Mattie than hitting on the blonde. He knelt down beside the bench. "Look, Mattie, just come with me and you can have pizza and soda, and – hey, I almost forgot – I have your super hero coloring b—"

Mattie stopped rocking. "Alright." He stood up abruptly.

The sudden movement started Sonny and he almost fell back on his butt. He regained his balance and stood too. "Yea?"

"You know my name, and you know my favorite color's blue. You have my super hero coloring book. We're not strangers. Were friends. Friends are good."

"Okay, then." Sonny nodded and smiled.

"I can sit by the window and watch for Brother. I can eat pizza and drink orange soda by the window. I can color in my super hero coloring book."

For a moment Sonny hesitated, wondering if he really was doing the right thing. _I can't just leave him here. If his brother doesn't show up in an hour or two, I'll take Mattie to the police station. Sounds like a plan…_

"You sure can. Let's go, Mattie." Sonny was hoping he didn't bite off more than he could chew, so to speak._ How much orange soda and pizza could one man-kid consume anyway? _Sonny shrugged. It really didn't matter. Mattie was smiling now.

* * *

Just a few minutes earlier…

Will was feeling a little better about his and Mattie's situation today. They were out enjoying the holiday and some fresh air. Mattie seemed to have a bit more pep in his step and that warmed Will's heart. Mattie had spotted the cotton candy stand as they were walking through town square. Of course he wanted a blue cone to match his blue shirt and his blue crayons. He'd told Mattie to stay put by the redwood and watch the fireworks while Will got him the sweet treat.

"I will stay put by the redwood," Mattie had said, holding his basket tightly. "I will stay put and watch the fireworks."

Will had just purchased two sugary blue cones when he turned and saw that the spot where he'd told Mattie to stay put was empty.

Will immediately panicked and dropped the cones on the sidewalk, instantly forgotten.

_Mattie!_

He'd only turned his back for a second. Will's eyes frantically searched the crowd. The square was packed, people were smooshed together like sardines watching the firework's finale. He didn't see his brother anywhere and his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach.

"Mattie!" Will yelled.

_God no! _

"Excuse me," Will said, shuffling through the crowd. Still no sign of his brother. "Mattie!" Will continued to push his way through the mob of people, becoming more aggressive now. "Have you seen my brother?" No one was paying attention to Will. All eyes were on the display in the sky.

_Shit!_

"But, I want my balloons, Momma," he thought he heard a little girl cry. "I have to pee," he may have heard another kid say.

_Pee? Maybe Mattie had to pee? But he would have told me! Wouldn't he?_

Will shoved his way towards the bathrooms. The fireworks ended and the crowd started pushing against him in the opposite direction.

"My God, move, people! Move!"

"Watch it, Buddy," he heard a woman snap.

_But my brother!_

"Mattie!" Will pictured Mattie lost and alone. He imagined him being hauled into a van, stuffed into a dark closet, scared and wondering why his brother wasn't helping him. Will's chest tightened and burned at the thought; it was all he could do not to cry.

_Shit! I am crying. _

Will wiped the wetness from his cheeks on his sleeve. "Mattie! Where are you?" he called out. "Answer me!"

Will felt like he was living the past all over again. _Oh God, I'm so sorry, Mattie! _

"Matthew Reed Horton!"

The crowd suddenly and surprisingly cleared fast and Will thought he saw a slither of bright blue across the square. He gave that direction his full attention and saw his brother sitting on a wrought iron bench. He watched his brother stand. He was so relieved, he couldn't stop the choked sob that escaped from his throat.

_Thank you, God! _

"What's wrong with that man, Mama?" he heard a little girl ask, but Will didn't care. His focus was all on his brother. "Mattie!" Will darted across the square toward the red-head. He wrapped him in a shaky hug as soon as he got to him. He didn't care who was watching. "There you are, Mattie!" Will pulled back, still clutching his brother's arms. "I was so worried. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, Brother, but you're not. You're crying so you're not okay. I didn't stay put, and you're not okay."

"Everything's okay now," Will grinned a lop-sided grin and nodded. "Now that I found you. I was just a little scared is all. They're happy tears now. I promise."

"Sorry, Brother."

"It's okay, Mattie. Let's just get you home." Will couldn't resist the sudden feeling of urgency to get his brother safely locked up at home…where no one could hurt him, where Will could easily protect him.

"I got lost and I found a spot. I found a spot and stayed put."

"That's right, Mattie. When you get lost you find a spot and stay put. Now, let's go, okay?"

"Sorry, Brother. I didn't mean to chase the balloons."

"Balloons, huh? Mattie if you wanted—"

"He was afraid you'd be mad," Will heard a male voice beside him. He glanced over his shoulder at the stranger, but his tears and his sudden anger at this guy were clouding his vision and his thoughts. _Who the hell is this dude? _"Let's go, Mattie," Will said, a little more firmly now.

"This is Sonny. We're not strangers, Brother. He found a better spot to stay put. He's taking me for pizza and orange soda—"

_A better spot?!_ "The hell he is," Will mumbled, pulling his brother's hand and tugging him gently in the opposite direction.

"He has my—"

"He's a stranger to you, Mattie. Let's go. Remember what I told you about strangers?"

"Yes, Brother, but he's not a stranger. He's taking me to a better spot to stay put."

Sonny touched Will's arm to get his attention; Will immediately jerked away.

_Take it easy, Blue Eyes._ "Hey, man...I have his col—"

"Look, I don't know who you are or what you were doing with my brother," Will spat accusingly, "but—"

"What?! No, I wasn't doing anything with your brother," Sonny said, shaking his head. _Un-freakin-believable_! "I was just trying to help him out."

Will couldn't think straight right now. He just wanted to get Mattie safely home. "Stay away from him," he snapped. "He doesn't need your kind of help."

_What the hell does that mean?!_ Sonny backed up, hands in air. "Whatever, Dude." He watched the blonde walk off, pulling his brother along with him. Sonny shook his head, wondering what the heck just happened. _My kind of help?_ _Why are the hot ones always so crazy? _"Asshole."

* * *

Well, many of you were wanting the boys to meet. Not sure if this is what you had in mind. Haha. ;) It'll all be fine in the end, we just gotta get there. :) Thanks for reading. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you to everyone that reviews. Makes me happy and encourages me to keep writing. I appreciate you. :)

* * *

Sonny stomped through the front door of the pizzeria, fuming.

_The nerve of some people!_

He walked straight passed the counter, straight passed a confused-looking (and ridiculously busy) Tucker and into the storage room. "I need a minute," he grumbled, just before the double doors swung shut behind him.

Sonny paced the storage room floor, running his hands through his hair with annoyance – frustrated that Blue Eyes had turned out to be such an asshole and pretty much treated him like last week's garbage. Sonny'd never been dismissed so rudely before, well…unless you count the time he'd told his parents he was gay.

_"What do you mean you're a faggot?!" his father had exclaimed. "Is this some kind a joke?!"_

_"You're our only child!" his mother had shrieked. "Our only son! You can't be serious!"_

_"I'm running for office," his father had added. "Can't this nonsense wait, Jackson?"_

When Sonny had answered no that it can't wait, his parents kicked him out. He hadn't heard from them in three years. His father had lost the election. Maybe his parents blamed him; Sonny didn't know. Sonny willed his mind not to go _there, _and back to the present, but still his heart was now aching from the memory of it, squeezing tightly in his chest.

At any rate, he wasn't used to being spoken to like that on the regular – and he didn't like it one bit! He treated people with respect and he expected the same in return.

_Damnit!_

He channeled the hurtful memory of his parents dismissal into the anger of being treated so badly by the guy in the square. That, at least, did not make his chest ache. He considered ripping the super hero coloring book to shreds to make himself feel better, but he couldn't do that to Mattie. It would probably make Sonny feel worse anyway.

_Guilt on top of pissed off can't be a good combination_.

Plus, it isn't Mattie's fault his brother is a _GIANT__ dick_! "What a fucking weirdo," he mumbled to himself. "How dare he imply that I would do something to harm—"

"Uh, you alright there, Sonny?" Cassidy asked, a wad of dirty table cloths in her hand.

"Fine."

"You do realize you're talking to yourself, right?"

"I'm just pissed! I'll be alright in a sec, Cass." Sonny stopped pacing, just stood there with his hands on his hips.

"Okay," she said dumping the soiled linens in the washing machine. "I totally get needing a sec." She turned to leave, but stopped when Sonny continued.

"You know, some people are just so damn obnoxious." …and we're back to pacing.

"Yea, I know. My friend Will, who you should meet by the way…" Cassidy added, distractedly. "Anyway, he and I we were just talking about that the other—"

"I'm in the square trying to help this guy out, right?" Sonny was waving his hands around as if it'd help make his point.

Cassidy nodded, her eyebrows raising on her forehead.

"And _this other guy_ comes up and practically snaps my head right off," he made a quick move with his hands as if he was breaking an imaginary stick in two, "just for trying to help out. How rude is that?!"

"Damn, that is—"

"I try to explain myself, but nooooo he goes all weird asshat on me." As Sonny continues his voice gets louder and higher as if in disbelief.

"That does suck for—"

"And I'm just trying to be a good citizen, ya know? Like, damnnn, that's what I get for trying to help somebody?!"

"I know the feeling. Some—"

"Some people in this town are just assholes. Flaming assholes! Blows my mind, Cassidy. Completely blows it."

Cassidy started to say something, but hesitated not sure if Sonny was done. Although she did understand his anger – she would be pissed too – she'd never seen Sonny act like such a diva.

"Well, aren't you gonna say something?" Sonny asked. He stood there, tapping his foot, reinforcing in Cassidy's mind, his diva status.

"Uh, yea. I'm gonna say that I get what you mean and that does suck. Royally. People are so rude these days; it makes you _not_ wanna help anybody sometimes, ya know?"

Sonny opened his mouth to agree, but then remembered how lost and distressed Mattie'd looked. He knew he'd do it without hesitation again, just to make that kid…man…man-kid feel better, and he had no idea why. He just somehow knew he would for Mattie.

"Be thankful, though," Cassidy continued, "that this town has a lot less flaming assholes living in it than the backwards ass town I grew up in."

"Really? Geesh. I'd never survive a place like that. It's bad enough here." Sonny shook his head, calming down a bit now. "Why are people such jerks?"_ Including my own parents?_

"I know, right?"

"I don't even get it." Sonny was referring to Mattie's rude brother and, secretly, his mother and father.

"My friend, um Will, that I mentioned, he recently moved here from my hometown and he dealt with buttheads like you just described on the daily."

"Damn, I feel sorry for him if he dealt with shit like that every day. Guy deserves a medal or something," Sonny mumbled.

"Uh-huh, actually he moved here partly to get away from it."

"Well, hopefully he doesn't run into the guy I just did in the square. He won't think much better of us Californians." Sonny shook his head. "That_ is_ rough when you have to pack your bags and get the hell outta Dodge because of the town idiots." _Or your parents._

"Yea" – _and you may be just what he needs to get over it_ – "as a matter of fact, I thought you might wanna meet him. Like I said, his name is Will, he's the nicest guy" – _well, he's a little uptight but that's only 'cause he needs to get laid _– "super smart, down to earth, and totally gorgeous. Hell, I'd date him if he wasn't into dudes."

Sonny snickered softly and the mood lightened considerably. "No, thanks, Cass. I'm not looking for a relationship right now, or even a date for that matter. Gonna enjoy being single for a while. I'm sure this Will is everything you say he is, but, honestly, I'm just looking to get—"

Tucker peeked his head through the door. "I hate to break up this woe-is-me fest, but I could really use some help out here."

"Uh, hello? We're venting," Cassidy said with a roll of her eyes_. And I'm trying to play match-maker._

"Venting? The restaurant is packed, and papa—"

"We know, we know," Sonny interrupted. "Papa needs a new ride."

"Yea, so you guys can cry it out later." Tyler let the double doors swing shut and then stuck his head back in. "Got it?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Cassidy said with a salute. _Operation Get Horton Laid officially on hold. For now._

"That's what I'm talkin' 'bout," Tucker said, and graced Cassidy with a flirtatious wink.

Sonny grinned at Tucker. "Aye, aye, Captain."

* * *

"So you think I overreacted?" Will asked Dr. Evans. He was standing in the kitchen talking to the doctor on his phone, telling her about yesterday's town square incident.

"Hard to tell, William, without the whole picture. I wasn't there."

"Me neither, really. I mean, I couldn't think straight, like I was having some kind of out-of-body experience. I was so freakin' scared and then angry at this guy…" Will's heart began to race just thinking about it. "Maybe I just needed to be angry at someone besides myself."

"Well, did he look menacing? Did he look as if he was up to no good?"

If Will could remember correctly, the stranger had actually looked pretty damn hot. If Will hadn't been so blinded by his own tears and emotions at the time, he probably would have went full on into man crush mode.

_What the hell is wrong with me? I'm getting a boner over my brother's would-be kidnapper! Cass was right. I really do need to get laid._

"William?"

"Huh? Uh…looks can be deceiving, Doc," he grumbled into the phone, adjusting his jeans in the front, his mind already on rubbing one off in the shower later.

"Absolutely."

"Absolutely, what?"

"Absolutely, looks can be deceiving. You alright, William?

"Yea," Will said, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind, milk chocolaty brown eyes attempting to make their way back to the forefront. "I mean, why would he even try to get Mattie to go somewhere with him if his intentions were good? Why not just keep him company at the bench?"

"Did you ask him?"

"No, remember I was too busy having an out-of-body experience to think straight."

Dr. Evans chuckled. "Where did Mattie say they were going?"

"To eat pizza and drink soda, to sit by the window and watch for me. Other than that, he's not talking about it. Oh, and for some reason he thinks this guy has his favorite coloring book. I have no idea why Mattie would think that. I told him that guy had nothing he wanted."

"Did you ask Mattie why?"

"He's not talking much. I think he's pretty mad at me."

"And that's okay for him to be angry at you every once in a while. It's a good thing for him to be able to experience and express all of his emotions."

"Yea, he's pretty much giving me the silent treatment…like that one time I told Mom and Dad that he wanted to take the sick chickens to church with us."

Doc laughed at the reminder. "He loved taking care of those chickens."

Will sighed. "Yea."

"And just like he started talking to you again back then, he'll come around now and start talking again. He loves you, William." Doc's voice was gentle and he could hear her slight smile when she spoke.

"I know," Will said, sighing. "I just wish he understood why I didn't want him going off with this guy."

"Well, maybe Mattie has a better judgment of character than we give him credit for…and maybe this guy really did have good inten—"

"I won't take that chance with Mattie. I mean, what was this guy trying to do really? Who knows where he would have taken Mattie." Will could feel himself getting angry over the whole thing again. "And to entice him with soda and pizza? That's just not right!" The guy was back to looking like a psycho again – hard-on deflated. "Mattie had his basket, so he probably got a clue from that and mentioned coloring books."

"You might be right."

"Oh, man. Can I call you write back, Doc?" Before she could even answer, Will ended the call.

"Mattie, why are you putting the peanut butter and jelly away? I got it out so you could make a sandwich."

Mattie ignored Will and then put the bread back in the cabinet, too. He put the apple back in the fridge.

"Mattie, can you please answer me?"

"I can get the peanut butter and the bread and the jelly and the apple if I want to eat them. I don't want to eat them. I'm putting them back."

"Okay, then. We have soup. Do you a want soup? It's broccoli and cheese with extra broccoli, your favorite."

"It's not my favorite," Mattie said stubbornly, twirling his index finger around a red curl. His bottom lip poked out slightly and his eyebrows drew together. Will knew that when Mattie made that face, his brother meant business, and he could be as stubborn as the day is long.

_Ugh._ "Grilled cheese with tomato? You love that."

Mattie shook his head no.

"Tuna salad?"

Another shake of the head.

"Spaghetti? I can make us some spaghetti, and it won't take long at all."

More silent treatment, not even the slightest shake of the head now.

"I know you must be hungry, Mattie. You didn't eat any of the blueberry pancakes I made this morning, and I even added extra blueberries to the top just like you like."

Nothing.

_Stubborn butt._ "Well, then, what would you like, Mattie?"

"Pizza and orange soda," Mattie answered before turning and walking out of the kitchen… "And my super hero coloring book."

_It's gonna be a long day._


	6. Chapter 6

Time for a quick update. Hope you y'all like it. :) Reviews are appreciated!

* * *

Will walked with Mattie to Maple Valley Park the next day. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and Mattie was talking to his brother again as if nothing had happened between them. Will thought the change in attitude probably had a lot do with him promising Mattie pizza and orange soda this weekend.

Will glanced at his brother, the slight breeze making Mattie's red curls stand on end made the blonde smile. Mattie had a look of innocent wonderment on his face, taking it all in as if this was the first time they'd been to the park.

Will and Mattie stopped at a big wooden bench, the shade of a giant Maple hovered just above –providing the perfect amount of sun blockage for the red-heads sensitive skin. Mattie always sat there and colored while Will jogged.

There was a huge open grassy area just next to the bench. Will scanned the area. A large group of kids were flying kites and playing Frisbee, a group of men were playing football on one end, and a few women were kicking around a soccer ball at the other end.

_Busy, but looks safe enough._

Will always jogged the sidewalk that circled the perimeter of the field. He could easily keep an eye on Mattie and make sure he didn't wander off.

Mattie sat on the bench and placed his crayon basket beside him.

"What book do you want, Mattie?" Will asked absentmindedly, setting his backpack on the bench beside his brother.

"I don't want a book."

"Huh? You aren't gonna color?"

"I'm not gonna color. I don't want a book because I'm not gonna color."

"Okay, well…what do you want to do? Want me to stay here with you?"

"No." Mattie shook his head.

"What do you want to do?" Will asked again, mouth slightly agape with confusion.

"Watch the kites. I don't want to color. I want to watch the kites. I like the blue one. I don't need my coloring book to watch the kites."

Will couldn't help the goofy grin that spread across his face. He was overjoyed that his brother wanted to do something other than color in his book.

"Awesome, Mattie." Will wanted to wrap his brother in a big bear hug, but he refrained. Ha patted him on the shoulder instead. "Can you look at me for a sec?"

Mattie was having a hard time tearing his eyes away from the kites. He shook his head no. A huge maple leaf floated to the bench beside Mattie. Usually the leaves would distract him and he'd collect them as they fell, stuffing them into Will's backpack. Today, they didn't even phase him. Will picked up the leaf and put it in his pack; he figured Mattie would want to crunch it up with his bare feet later.

"You like those kites, huh?"

"I like those kites. I like the blue ones the best." Mattie's eyes were still glued to the sky, on the big flapping dragon with the long cobalt tail.

Will couldn't help but giggle; he hadn't seen this look of joy on his brother's face in a long while. It did his heart – and mind – good. "Maybe we can get a kite and bring it next time. Would you like that?"

"Can we get a kite now?" Mattie's eyes cut to Will's briefly, then back to the kite.

Will was tempted to do just that, but by the time they walked to the store and back, Mattie would probably be too tired to fly the kite – much less walk back home again.

'Would it be okay if we get a kite for next time?" Will asked. "We could pick one up at the store on the way here."

"We can get a kite next time. I wanna blue kite, Brother. We can get a blue kite at the store next time. We can bring it here."

"Cool! A blue one it is, and thanks, Mattie."

"Welcome."

"Can you look at me for just a second now?" Will waited patiently for his brother to make eye contact for longer than two seconds. When he did, "Remember, Mattie, I'm just going for a jog. I will be able to see you the whole time and you can see me so—"

"I wanna see the kites."

"Sure, you can see the kites, but it is important that you stay put. Okay, Mattie? Don't follow the kites. You can watch them, but don't follow," Will stressed to his brother.

"I will stay put. I will watch the kites, but I won't follow them. Can I watch them now?"

"Yea, you can." Will ruffled his brother's curls.

"Thanks, Brother," and again Will was seemingly forgotten as Mattie eyes became glued to the dragon.

"Anytime, Mattie."

Will took off at a fast pace, deciding to only jog two miles today. He was eager to get back and watch the kites with his brother.

* * *

Sonny slammed his Tacoma into park at Maple Valley Park and climbed out of his truck. "Come on, Copper!" he shouted, patting his knee.

The obedient Irish Setter jumped out of the back of his beloved owner's nautical blue truck energetically.

"Good boy, Cop, and here's a treat for behaving so well on the way."

The Setter gobbled up the bone-shaped biscuit.

"You slimed me," Sonny teased, wiping the slobber on his gym shorts. He bounced a tennis ball on the sidewalk a couple of times. Copper danced excitedly.

Sonny laughed and slung the ball out into the field. "Go get it, Boy!" Sonny jogged out into the grassy area where his dog had just bolted full speed ahead.

It wasn't long before Copper made his way back to Sonny, delivered the ball and was ready for more. So began the ritual of throw, chase, retrieve, and return.

Sonny and Copper eventually made their way to the center of the field where a small group of kids were rolling their kites in, wrapping the string tightly around plastic reels. He noticed a very impressive blue-tailed dragon that had just made it down safely to its owner. The kite reminded Sonny of his favorite kite when he was a kid. He wondered if it was till in parent's attic and figured he wouldn't be finding out any time soon – what with them not talking to their disgraceful queer of a son and all. Sonny's chest tightened a little at the thought.

Sonny let his eyes wonder around the field; he needed a distraction. His gaze settled on a very muscular, very sweaty and very yummy-looking brunette playing football.

_BINGO! Time to get distracted._

He threw Copper's ball in that direction, thinking he could inch closer and get an even better look. Maybe get a phone number, maybe even get laid. Hell, he'd even settle for a non-committal blow job at this point. Sonny hadn't gotten any since the night of his and Tucker's birthday, and that was just a half-drunken quickie in the bathroom. Before that it'd been five weeks and with his boyfriend of one year, Dawson.

_Ugh, Dawson._

Talk about bad endings. Sonny had befriended Dawson just as he was coming out of the closet, and there was an instant chemistry between them. Dawson had been with girls before he'd met Sonny – lots of them in an attempt to deny his sexuality. He'd kissed a few guys in secret and had even exchanged a hand job or two, but other than that, Dawson had been inexperienced in the ways of gay sex. Sonny had been his eager teacher of firsts – topping, bottoming, rimming, blowjobs – and Dawson had been an eager student. Their sex was off the freaking charts.

They were the perfect patch and quickly fell in love – well, at least in deep like for Sonny. He had built up a pretty sturdy and protective brick wall around his heart after his parents had rejected him.

_Nobody gets in, nobody gets hurt – especially me._

At any rate, Sonny had cared for Dawson and had felt a fiery connection to him that he'd never felt before, and it was more than physical. After a year, Dawson started getting restless and deep down Sonny had known what was coming before it even happened.

One tearful night, Dawson explained to Sonny that he was too young to be tied down in a committed relationship. He needed to see "what else" was out there. He didn't want to look back ten years down the road and wish he'd experienced more than just Sonny. He didn't want to hurt Sonny in that way.

_Ha!_

Sonny was broken-hearted, well at least a little bitter and a bit angry anyway. He even quit going to clubs, because every time he went, he'd see Dawson there with a different guy.

Ever since that night Dawson let him go so that he could "experience other guys," Sonny mentally added a couple more bricks to the wall around his heart and vowed to never-ever be another guy's firsts. It just wasn't worth the heart ache of being left in the "exploration dust" in the end. It would be a long time before he wanted _any _kinda committed relationship, anyway.

Sonny sighed and put his attention back on the brunette. He was just about to throw the ball even closer when a leggie blonde with a bouncy pony tail (and even bouncier boobs) jogged up to the hottie with a bottle of water. She kissed his cheek; he grabbed her ass.

_DAMN! I'm never off. Poor guy must be in the closet. Looks like I'll be rubbing one of in the shower later…again._

Sonny sighed and patted Copper's head when the Setter ran back to him. This time Copper sat down in the grass and whined. Sonny plopped down next to him. "Thirsty, Boy?"

Copper's eyes widened as if to say _yes._

Sonny smiled. "Go ahead, then." Sonny watched as Copper ran to the little dog fountain. Sonny thought it was the coolest thing ever, and apparently, so did Copper. The faucet was situated close to the ground under a huge Maple. Copper ran over and put his paw on the lever that would release the water from the pipe for him. Most dogs had to have their owners push the lever for them (or at least be reminded what to do every time), but not Copper. Sonny figured he was probably the smartest dog in the whole city. When Copper turned and looked at Sonny, Sonny knew he was ready for the ball. He threw it toward his dog and watched Copper run after it, his auburn ears flowing behind him.

That's when Sonny noticed the familiar red-head on the bench watching him and Copper.

_Mattie. _

Mattie looked up at Sonny and then quickly looked back down with a little grin on his face, as if he was doing something sneaky.

Sonny wanted to talk to Mattie, see how the guy was doing, but he knew better.

_Now where's Blue Eyes AKA the blonde asshat? He has to be close, right? _

He hoped to God Mattie wasn't lost again.

When Mattie glanced up again, Sonny waved. Mattie grinned mischievously and quickly looked back down again, but he didn't wave.

_Hmmm…interesting._

Just then Sonny saw Blue Eyes jog passed Mattie. The asshat waved at Mattie and Mattie waved back.

When Blue Eyes had jogged a few feet away, Mattie rolled his eyes up at Sonny and smiled. Sonny smiled and waved, but Mattie just looked down, still no wave back.

Will watched Blue Eyes jog around the perimeter of the field. Damn if the guy wasn't a beautiful piece of freakin' art. Lean and defined – not an ounce of fat, but not overly muscular – the perfect height for Sonny, and now that Sonny was getting a look, his ass was nice and tight just like Sonny liked 'em. Maybe the nicest ass he'd ever seen. No, definitely the nicest ass he'd ever seen.

_Horny much, Kiriakis? Damn._

Sonny watched the rounded globes bob up and down as the guy jogged. Sonny's dick twitched; his mouth watered and he swallowed thickly.

_Too bad he's a psycho…Shit!_

Sonny watched as a little dribble of sweat ran down his bicep. He thought about how he'd like to lick…

Copper bounded up to Sonny almost knocking him over, effectively bringing Sonny back to reality. Sonny laughed. "Thanks, Boy, I was quickly going where no sane man should EVER have to go!"

Sonny glanced up at Mattie, the red-head's eyes were filled with mischief and merriment.

Sonny waved again. Mattie's eyes darted to the far end of the field. Sonny followed his gaze. Blue Eyes was still jogging on the sidewalk and was about to jog along the portion that would take him around to the other side of the bathroom. The blonde disappeared briefly on the other side of the building.

Sonny glanced at Mattie and the red-head was waving enthusiastically. Sonny waved back and Mattie abruptly stopped, folding his hands in his lap. Then Sonny watched as the blonde jogged back into view.

Sonny had to laugh. _Sneaky kid…man-kid._ Sonny thought it'd be a lot of fun to get to know Mattie better and hang out with him, but he knew he'd never get that chance.

Sonny watched as Blue Eyes jogged in front of Mattie. They both waved at each other and then the asshat continued on.

Sonny threw the ball a few more times for Copper and when Blue Eyes jogged behind the restroom, Sonny looked toward Mattie again. The red-head was waving and Sonny waved back until the blonde jogged back into view. Mattie would get that mischievous look on his face then stare back down at his lap.

_You are something else, Mattie. Hope the asshat knows just how lucky he is…_


	7. Chapter 7

Been on vacation (YAY!) but finally found time for a quick update. Thanks to all who take the time to review. It means a lot. :) Sorry I haven't had time to respond like I like to. I will try to catch up soon!

Hope you enjoy this update. Let me know. :)

* * *

Will made his final turn around the bathrooms and jogged the short distance to his brother. He plopped down on the bench and grabbed his water bottle. Throwing his head back, he wrapped his full lips around the bottle and took a couple long, slow swigs, his Adam's apple bobbing – some of the liquid dribbled down his chin and then dripped down his neck. The small stream glistened in the bright sun, before disappearing beneath his tank top. Will was oblivious to the fact that he had just given someone in the field an insta-boner.

Will nudged his brother gently with his hips. "Move over a bit, Mattie. You're in too much sun. Don't wanna burn."

Mattie scooted over on the bench.

"Sorry I missed the kites, bud. I thought they'd be out here longer."

The red-head smiled. "S'okay, Brother. Next time we can bring a kite. We can get a blue one and bring it next time.

"We sure can."

"When we get a kite, can we get a dog?"

Will laughed. "We can get a dog when we get a bigger place, okay?"

Mattie nodded.

"Ready to go home and eat?"

Mattie stood and grabbed his basket. "Can we get pizza and orange soda?"

"This weekend, remember?"

"Is it this weekend yet?"

"Not yet, but almost. You have to go to sleep two more times, okay?"

"Okay, I'm gonna go to sleep two more times. Then it will be this weekend. We get pizza and soda this weekend."

"You got it!" Will exclaimed, as they started walking in the direction that would take them home.

Just then, a huge Setter came bounding across the sidewalk chasing a tennis ball, almost taking Will's feet out from under him. The dogs nails scraped across the sidewalk as he scrambled after the ball and Mattie laughed – a joyful sound straight from his gut. Will laughed, too.

"Whoa there," Will said, gaining his balance.

Mattie reached for the Setter, but the auburn dog paid them no mind. He gobbled up the ball and took off. Will watched as the dog crossed the grassy field and returned the ball to his owner. Maybe he would let Mattie play with the dog. The guy looked vaguely familiar.

_No, it couldn't be._

Will squinted his eyes against the sun's rays so he could get a better look. He'd left his glasses at home and without them, his distance pretty much sucked. He squinted a bit more and the somewhat familiar picture of brown hair and eyes was coming into view. Damn, he was having a hard time seeing, but there was no mistaking the middle finger that the guy abruptly held up for him. Shocked - and before Will could think any better of it - he flipped one back.

_What the hell is that psycho doing here? Is he following Mattie now? Some people!_

"Let's get outta here, Mattie. Stay close." Will gently nudged Mattie to walk a little faster.

Mattie looked over his shoulder and discreetly waved at the very nice man he knew as Sonny - the man who had his super hero coloring book.

Sonny waved back…and Mattie smiled a secret smile. "It's a good day, Brother."

* * *

It was Saturday afternoon and Will and Mattie had finally made it back to Jackson's Pizzeria. They were sitting at table 3 again, Mattie's choice, chowing down on pepperoni pizza and slurping up orange soda.

"I like the pepperoni," Mattie said.

"Me too."

"Pizza is my favorite. My name should be pizza, but it's not. It's Mattie."

For the second time this week, Mattie had pushed his crayon basket aside – and for the second time this week, Will was on cloud 9 because of it. Will smiled at his brother; Mattie smiled back.

"When we finish this pizza can we get another one, Brother?"

"How 'bout we get one to go? Would that be okay, Mattie? We can heat it up tomorrow for lunch."

"That would be okay. We can get one to go, and we can heat it up tomorrow for lunch."

"Sounds like a plan."

Cassidy approached their table and slid into the empty seat. "What's up, Buttercup?" She said to Will, and then to Mattie. "Hey, Mattie, my friend."

"Can I have my super hero coloring book now?"

"Huh?" Cassidy's blank look showed her confusion.

"For some reason he thinks he's getting his super hero coloring book today," Will explained.

"Oh, okay. I'm...not really sure about that, Mattie. Uh…maybe you will," she added, hopefully.

"Okay, maybe I will. Maybe I will get my super hero coloring book today." Mattie took a big bite of pizza, stringy cheese floated between his mouth and the slice.

"Mattie, don't forget to use your napkin," Will reminded his brother.

"I'll use my napkin," Mattie said, picking up the cloth and swiping it across his chin. "I won't forget."

"You are so smart, Mattie," Cassidy said.

"Yea."

Cassidy smile at the red-head as he gobbled more pizza. "Hey, Will, remember that guy I was telling you about last week? The gorgeous one with amazing brown hair and eyes? The one that is single and has a steady job?"

"Oh, yea, the one where I told you _no thanks_." Will was a little annoyed that Cassidy would bring it up again. Damn, if talking about this shit didn't make him nervous as hell – horny, but nervous. He thought of a pair of chocolaty-brown eyes and thick shiny hair, and mentally smacked himself – hard.

Cassidy ignored the attitude. "Well, he's here, and he's in the back."

"Yea, so?" Will tried to act as if he could care less, even though he did feel a little twinge of excitement. Or was that a surge of testosterone? Whatever it was, it went straight to his dick.

"Yea. So. I thought I'd go get him and introduce you."

Nervousness won out over horniness. "Shit!" Will dropped his pizza on his plate, it landed with a plop. "You didn't say anything to him about me, did you?"

Cassidy crossed her fingers under the table. "Uh, no. Gosh, you told me not to! As if."

"Good, let's keep it that way." He slurped on his soda.

Cassidy made a move to get up. "Why don't I just go get him and you can see for yourself how—"

Her butt was barely off her seat before Will slammed the plastic cup down and whispered. "Cass, don't you dare! We've already been through this. We'll…we'll leave, I swear it!" Will threatened, eyes frantically darting towards the door.

"We'll leave! I swear it!" Cassidy mocked, slumping back down in her chair. "Why are you acting like a two year old?"

"Funny," Mattie mumbled with a quiet giggle between bites of pizza. Mattie was glancing around the room. Will couldn't even tell Mattie had been listening, but then again he never could. Mattie continued to eat his pizza as if he and the slice of cheesy pie were the only ones in the world.

"If I'm acting like a two year old, Cass, it's because you're not listening to me! I don't want to meet this guy. End. Of. Discussion."

"Well, why not, Horton?" Cassidy sat up, propping her elbows on the table.

"Because I said so," the blonde countered, sounding even more childish than before.

"Well, that's not good enough."

"Is too." _We're going downhill fast._

"Is not!"

_UGH!_ "Look, Cass, you know why." Will said on a sigh.

"And like I said last week, you've gotta start somewhere."

"Yea, I get that! I do. Just not here, okay? I will start somewhere when I'm good and ready and…and on own my own terms. I gotta mentally prepare for this shit!"

"Fine, Grumpy Butt! You are so stubborn."

"He needs to get laid," Mattie offered. "He needs to get laid so he won't be a grumpy butt anymore."

"You're tellin' me," Cassidy grumbled.

Will huffed. "Thanks for that one, Cass."

* * *

Sonny was in his office going over the numbers, just like he did every Saturday afternoon. He smiled at his finances, thrilled that his restaurant endeavor was making a good profit. His parents had cut him off from all the family money, including his inheritance from his grandparents that he should have received at the age of 21 – but that only made Sonny more bound and determined to make it on his own.

Cassidy peeked her head around the door jam. "Gotta sec?"

"Yea," Sonny said, looking up. "What's going on, Cass? You guys need help out there?"

"No, uh, no…actually, it's a little quiet. For now anyway."

"Okay, need me to make more sauce?" Sonny allowed no one else to make the pizza sauce nor did he share his secret recipe with anyone else, including Tucker. Not even Clarke or Brady new his recipe, the only two guys he trusted in the kitchen, other than himself and Tucker.

"No, we have enough to last at least until tonight, maybe even tomorrow afternoon."

Sonny couldn't help but notice the nervous fidgeting of Cassie's hands. "Okayyy, wanna tell me what's up? You seem a little nervous."

_Because Horton would kill me if he knew what I was up to. Kill me dead!_ Cassidy decided it would be worth it in the end, and went for it anyway. "Well…do you remember me mentioning my friend Will?"

"Uhh…yea, I think so." Sonny absentmindedly tossed his ball point on the desk.

"Okay, well, he's here and I thought—"

"No way, Cass." Sonny sat up straight, paying full attention now.

"What?!" _You have GOT to be kidding me!_ "Why the hell not? I, uhhh, I mean, why not?"

"Cassidy, you know I just got out of a relationship that ended badly. I'm not looking to get set up right now."

"But he's smart, and so sweet—"

"Well, there you have it. I'm not looking for smart and so sweet right now, more like hard and fast...really hard and really fast." Sonny snickered at his comment.

_I bet Will would be up for that, too, if he saw you. Although, he's probably not quite ready for really hard and fast just yet…_ "Come on, Sonny. What would be the harm in sharing a pizza?"

"Not interested. Pizza has nothing to do with hard and fast."

Cassidy scoffed. "Why're you being such a pig?"

"Look, I just know what I want right now at this point in my life. Ask me again in about a year...or two, or five."

Cassidy ignored him. "Cup of coffee?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Drink after work?"

"Nope."

"Saying hello?"

"No, Cass, I—"

"Well, how 'bout…how 'bout we—"

"Cass…"

"How 'bout we all—"

"The answer is no."

"Well, can I at east give him your number?" _As if he'd use it._ "Or maybe…maybe I could give you his number."

Sonny sighed. "You're not gonna stop, are you?"

"No."

"How 'bout if I just take a peek? Will that shut you up?"

"Yea, it will." _I'll take what I can get, and I have a good feeling one peek is all it'll take._

_Ugh._ "He'd better be worth it," Sonny said, standing up and stomping out of his office.

"Oh, he will be. Trust me. You'll be thanking me later."

Cassidy followed Sonny out of the office and into the storage room. She ran into him when he stopped abruptly at the double doors leading to the pizzeria. "Just a peek, Cassidy, that's it," he said over his shoulder.

"Fine," she agreed, "because that's all it's gonna take."

"Whatever. Which table?"

"Three."

Sonny barely poked his head though the slightly opened doors and searched the room until his eyes landed on table three. _Awe, hell NO!_ He couldn't get his head back into the storage room fast enough. He about knocked Cassidy down as he backed up.

"You've got to be kidding me, Cass?! There is no way in hell I want to meet that asshat! I'd rather stab myself in the face and get hit by a bus than get anywhere near _him_. Thanks, but no thanks! I'm not _that_ desperate!" Sonny stomped his way back into his office and slammed the door.

Cassidy shook her head. _What the hell just happened?_

She'd never understand gay men. Ever.


End file.
